Tornadoes of 2019 (Shadow)
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2019. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Brazil, Bangladesh and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. There were 1,174 preliminary reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2018, of which at least 1,081 have been confirmed. Fifty-three tornado-related deaths were confirmed worldwide; forty-one in the United States, ten in India, and one each in Canada and China. The United States saw near-average numbers of tornadoes despite an extremely quiet first quarter. An EF5 tornado struck Crowville, Louisiana on April 23, becoming the first officially-rated EF5 tornado worldwide in six years. Synopsis Events January 29 tornadoes were reported in the United States in January, of which 26 were confirmed. February 11 tornadoes were reported in the United States in February, of which six were confirmed. March 47 tornadoes were reported in the United States in March, of which 42 were confirmed. March 17 The first significant tornado outbreak of 2019 occurred as several semi-discrete supercells tracked across Arkansas and southern Missouri into Tennessee and Kentucky ahead of an intense squall line. A large, high-end EF2 tornado struck Dierks, Arkansas just before 3:00 pm CST, causing considerable damage and injuring four people. Another EF2 tornado tracked through Lead Hill, Arkansas at around 4:15 pm, causing one death and 19 injuries. After the Lead Hill tornado dissipated, its parent supercell produced another EF2 tornado which destroyed several mobile homes near Lesterville, Missouri, killing two people and injuring 12. At 6:02 pm, the first violent tornado of the year touched down in Hempstead County, Arkansas and tracked for 56 miles through Nevada and Dallas Counties, reaching high-end EF4 strength as it struck Prescott. 11 people were killed in the Prescott tornado and 126 others were injured. An intense EF3 tornado associated with the same supercell that produced the Prescott tornado touched down near Hamilton at 7:54 pm and tracked through Hazen, destroying at least 90 buildings and injuring 26 people. The final significant tornado of the day was a long-tracked EF2 multiple-vortex tornado which left a 42-mile path through far southeastern Missouri, causing considerable damage and 63 injuries in the city of Dexter. The outbreak produced a total of 31 tornadoes, resulting in 13 deaths and 226 injuries. March 17 was the deadliest day of tornadic activity in the United States since January 22, 2017, on which 16 deaths occurred. The rating of the Prescott tornado was disputed, with several meteorologists applying an EF5 rating; ultimately the tornado was rated EF4 based on contextual flaws such as the lack of pavement scouring and improperly spaced anchor bolts on houses that were swept away. April 160 tornadoes were reported in the United States in April, of which at least 148 were confirmed. April 2–4 On March 31, the Storm Prediction Center issued an enhanced risk of severe weather for April 2 in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma, as several tornadic supercells were expected to develop in the region. On April 1, the enhanced risk was expanded east to the Oklahoma City Metro area and a moderate risk of severe weather was issued for most of the eastern Texas Panhandle. By April 2, the moderate risk was contracted to include only the southeastern portion of the Panhandle. The storms that developed on April 2 were less discrete than forecast; only six tornadoes were confirmed during the day and the event "busted". One EF2 tornado caused considerable damage to trees and outbuildings near Quail, Texas, but no fatalities or injuries were reported. An enhanced risk of severe weather was issued for northern Missouri, northeastern Kansas, and far southeastern Nebraska on April 3. Numerous tornadic supercells developed during the late afternoon hours and produced several strong tornadoes. The first notable tornado of the day was a narrow but intense EF3 elephant trunk tornado which touched down at 5:56 pm CDT and destroyed several houses, outbuildings, mobile homes, barns, and a church to the west of Fontana, Kansas. Three people were injured in this tornado. Another EF3 tornado tracked through Raytown and Blue Springs, Missouri at 7:22 pm, killing five people, injuring 31 others, and completely destroying at least 150 buildings. The parent supercell of the Raytown/Blue Springs tornado then produced another strong tornado, rated EF2, which hit the town of Norborne, Missouri just after 8:00 pm, severely damaging dozens of homes and businesses, snapping and toppling hundreds of trees, and causing one death. A third EF3 tornado struck Chelsea, Iowa at 11:42 pm, causing borderline EF4 damage to several homes, businesses, and industrial buildings, killing two people. Twin EF2 tornadoes caused considerable damage in and near Wellman, Iowa shortly after midnight, with the final significant tornado of the event being an EF3 tornado which caused one death near the unincorporated community of Scotch Grove, Iowa at around 1:30 am. The system dissipated in the mid-morning of April 4, after producing 29 tornadoes in five states, and causing nine deaths and 78 injuries. An additional two people were killed on April 3 as a result of flash flooding associated with the storm system. The outbreak was the most intense in Iowa in the month of April since April 8, 1999, on which two F4 and two F3 tornadoes occurred. April 23 A mid-sized but violent outbreak of tornadoes affected Louisiana and southern Mississippi on April 23, producing the first officially-rated EF5 tornado in the United States since the Moore, Oklahoma tornado on May 20, 2013. The Storm Prediction Center had issued a slight risk of severe weather for much of the "Dixie Alley" region as early as April 19; by April 21, an enhanced risk of severe weather was issued for Louisiana and southern Arkansas as well as much of the southern half of Mississippi. On April 22, the enhanced risk was expanded into central Mississippi while being contracted out of Arkansas, while a moderate risk area was issued for a narrow corridor extending from Winnfield, Louisiana to Jackson, Mississippi. A PDS tornado watch was issued for eastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi at 1:20 pm CDT, with a 90% probability of two or more tornadoes, and an 80% probability of one or more significant tornadoes. At 1:34 pm CDT, a large wedge tornado touched down near the town of Harrisonburg, Lousiana and tracked directly through the town, destroying nearly a third of all buildings in its path and earning a rating of EF3. 22 people were injured in this tornado. Several other weak tornadoes were confirmed in Louisiana and far western Mississippi over the course of the next two hours. At 3:12 pm CDT, a violent multiple-vortex tornado touched down in rural Franklin Parish, tracking through the town of Crowville, where numerous well-constructed homes and businesses were swept away, trees were debarked and denuded, and widespread ground scouring occurred. The Crowville tornado was rated EF5, and was the first tornado to be rated as such in nearly six years. Two people were killed in the Crowville tornado, and 16 others were injured. By the late afternoon hours, most of the supercells had tracked into Mississippi. A large EF3 wedge tornado demolished several well-constructed houses in the small community of Norfield at 4:49 pm, causing one death and six injuries. After the Norfield tornado dissipated, its parent supercell produced a violent and long-tracked EF4 tornado which tracked through a mobile home park near Magee, causing 13 deaths and over 175 injuries. The final significant tornado of the event was a multiple-vortex EF3 tornado which tracked through unpopulated forested areas in Wayne County, Mississippi, snapping and debarking thousands of trees in its path. Several additional weak tornadoes occurred in the late evening hours, but no fatalities or serious injuries occurred. The system rapidly weakened and left the area during the overnight hours of April 24. The outbreak produced 30 tornadoes across Louisiana and Mississippi, two of which were violent and four of which were intense. 16 fatalities and around 225 injuries resulted from the tornadoes. The Crowville tornado was the first EF5 tornado in the United States since the Moore, Oklahoma tornado on May 20, 2013; while the Magee, Mississippi tornado was the deadliest of the year as well as the deadliest in the United States since the Vilonia, Arkansas tornado on April 27, 2014. April 27–28 A mid-sized outbreak of tornadoes affected the "Dixie Alley" states beginning in the early afternoon hours of April 27, as a cluster of tornadic supercells developed over central Alabama and began tracking northeast at near-record speeds. The Storm Prediction Center had issued an enhanced risk of severe weather for April 27, with a 10% risk of tornadoes and a 30% hatched risk of damaging wind gusts. A few weak tornadoes were confirmed in the early afternoon across central and eastern Alabama; one person was injured in an EF1 tornado near Mineral Springs at 1:30 pm CDT. At 2:10 pm, a rain-wrapped tornado touched down in DeKalb County, Alabama and tracked northeast at 75 miles per hour, reaching EF3 strength as it tracked through Mentone, killing one person. The tornado weakened to EF1 strength as it neared and crossed the Georgia state line, but reached EF3 strength a second time as it passed near LaFayette, causing another fatality and numerous injuries. The tornado left a path 54 miles in length, causing two deaths and 17 injuries, and was among the fastest-moving significant tornadoes in recorded history. Several more weak tornadoes touched down over the course of the afternoon in eastern Alabama and western Georgia, but no additonal fatalities occurred. By the evening, most of the tornadic supercells had continued into southeastern Tennessee and the Carolinas. A strong tornado touched down near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at 6:07 pm EDT, snapping and toppling trees and causing considerable roof damage to a few rural houses along its 13-mile path. The Pigeon Forge area tornado received a low-end EF2 rating, and no fatalities or injuries occurred. The parent supercell of the Pigeon Forge tornado later produced another EF2 tornado to the west-southwest of Erwin at 7:19 pm. This tornado tracked entirely though forested areas, snapping and uprooting thousands of trees, and earning a high-end EF2 rating, with estimated winds of 135 mph. One man was killed along Highway 107 when his car was tossed from the road into a nearby ravine, and three other people in the area were injured. Category:Tornadoes of 2019